Ann Smith regarding transparency

I don't think that Municipal Employees Association attorney Ann Smith is comfortable with the increased transparency in government that Donna Frye and others are trying to bring to San Diego.

The SD City Council doesn't want another $1 billion surprise regarding underfunded pensions, but Ann Smith doesn't seem to care much. She doesn't see it as her problem, or the MEA's problem.

So when the Committee on Government Efficiency and OPENNESS created a policy requiring mandatory discussion of unfunded accrued liability, and was set to send the new policy to the full council for a vote, Ann Smith spoke up and insisted that the council had to meet and confer with her (and other unions) before voting.

I can certainly understand that rules should be followed, Ann, but you didn't feel that way when the pension was underfunded in order to give benefits to union presidents and workers. How many jobs have been lost as a result of that underfunding? How much infrastructure goes unrepaired? How much city property will have to be sold to make sure that the fallout of the illegal underfunding deal falls on anybody but you? It doesn't seem to me that you care about anyone you aren't paid to care about, Ann.

You have no remorse for your role in the underfunding deal, do you, Ann Smith?

You smugly argue that the statute of limitations protects you from liability. If you can get away with it, it wasn't wrong? Is that what you think?

Here is a portion of the minutes of that meeting:
ACTIONS
Committee on Government Efficiency and Openness
September 26, 2005
Updating Council Policy 300-06 to include a MANDATORY DISCUSSION OF UNFUNDED ACCRUED ACTUARIAL LIABILITY (UAAL) PRIOR TO MEET & CONFER SESSIONS. (See Councilmember Frye’s September 15, 2005, letters; Ann M. Smith’s September 9, 2005, letter; City Attorney’s August 31, 2005, memo)
PUBLIC COMMENT: Ann Smith, San Diego Municipal Employees Association (MEA): Stated that MEA supports the item as long as any change in the council policy is properly discussed in a meet and confer session with the recognized employee organizations before it is approved by the full City Council.
ACTION:
Motion by Chair Frye, second by Councilmember Maienschein to
recommend to the full City Council that the language contained in the CityAttorney’s memorandum be added to Council Policy 300-06 with the understanding that the existing policy requires that the City conduct a meet and confer session with the recognized labor organizations regarding the change.
VOTE:
2-0; Frye-yea, Young-not present, Maienschein-yea